Maritime Security

Ship Security Advisories

An index of all active Ship Security Advisories can be found here.

Red Sea / Gulf of Aden Resources

• International Maritime Organization – Red Sea Area
• International Shipping Association Guidance – Maritime Global Security
• United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) – Recent Incidents
• European Union Naval Force – Operation ASPIDES – Instructions to request information and protection
• European Union Naval Force – Operation ATALANTA
• Maritime Security Centre – Horn of Africa (MSCHOA)
• United States Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) – Worldwide Threats to Shipping
• United States Central Command (CENTCOM)

Security Incident Reporting

• MI-109-2, Report of Acts of Piracy and/or Armed Robbery against Vessels
• MI-109-3, Report of Stowaways
• MI-109-5, Report of Maritime Cyber Incident
• MI-109-6, Report of Contraband Smuggling
• Security Incident Contact List

Required/Recommended Security Levels

* REQUIRED SETTING OF SECURITY LEVEL III *

Israel (within a 12 nautical mile radius of all ports) (See SSA #05-24)

Middle East (See SSA #01-24)

• Bab-al-Mandeb
• Gulf of Aden (west of 48°E)
• Southern Red Sea (south of 18°N)

Syria (including Syrian TTW and ports) (See SSA #08-24)

Ukrainian EEZ (including Ukrainian TTW and ports) (See SSA #08-23)

* REQUIRED SETTING OF SECURITY LEVEL II * (See SSA #09-22)

Africa (North and East)

• Comoros
• Djibouti (except Doraleh Container Terminal and Doraleh Oil Terminal (Horizon))
• Egypt: including the Suez Canal
• Libya
• Seychelles
• Somalia (see SSA #03-24)
• Sudan

Africa (West) / Gulf of Guinea (see MG 2-11-14)

• Benin
• Cameroon
• Equatorial Guinea
• Gabon
• Gambia, Republic of the
• Guinea
• Guinea-Bissau
• Nigeria
• São Tomé and Príncipe
• Togo

Americas (South, Central, and Caribbean)

• Brazil: Santos and Macapá
• Ecuador
• Haiti: Port-au-Prince
• Peru: Callao and Talara
• Venezuela

Asia (Southest Asia, Indian Sub-Continent, and Oceania)

• Cambodia
• Malacca Straits
• Micronesia, Federated States of
• Nauru
• Singapore Straits
• Timor-Leste

Middle East

• Arabian / Persian Gulf
• Gulf of Oman
• Iran
• Iraq
• Israel (Israeli TTW, excluding Israeli ports) (see SSA #05-24)
• Lebanon
• Northern Red Sea (north of 18°N)
• Strait of Hormuz (see SSA #02-24)
• Syria

Russian Black Sea EEZ (including Russian Black Sea ports) (See SSA #08-23)

* RECOMMENDED SETTING OF SECURITY LEVEL II OR EQUIVALENT SECURITY MEASURES *

The areas below are known to have continued high incidents of piracy, stowaways, and/or criminal activity.

Africa (North and East)

• Morocco
• Mozambique: Maputo

Africa (West) / Gulf of Guinea (see MG 2-11-14)

• Angola: Cabinda and Luanda
• Congo, Republic of the: Pointe Noire anchorage
• Liberia

Americas (South, Central, and Caribbean)

• Dominican Republic: Rio Haina and San Pedro de Macoris
• Jamaica: Kingston

Asia

• Bangladesh: Chittagong
• China: Caofeidian and Tianjin
• Celebes Sea
• Indonesia
• Philippines
• Sulu Sea
• Vietnam: Hai Phong and Vung Tau

Marine Notices:

• MN 2-011-16, International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code
• MN 2-011-17, Automatic Identification Systems (AIS)
• MN 2-011-18, Ship Security Alert System (SSAS)
• MN 2-011-19, Continuous Synopsis Record (CSR)
• MN 2-011-39, Piracy, Armed Robbery, and the Use of Armed Security

Marine Guidelines:

• MG 2-11-12, Guidance for Company Security Officers on Preparing a Company and Crew for the Contingency of a Hijacking by Pirates (Western Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden)
• MG 2-11-14, Maritime Security off the Coast of West Africa, including the Gulf of Guinea
• MG 2-11-15, Organizations Acting on Behalf of the Republic of the Marshall Islands Maritime Administrator
• MG 2-11-16, Maritime Cyber Risk Management
• MG 7-41-5, Stowaways: Prevention of Access and Case Resolution

MSC/Circulars:

• MSC/Circ.1217, Interim Guidance on Voluntary Self-Assessment by Companies and Company Security Officers (CSOs) for Ship Security (14 December 2006)
• MSC/Circ.1111, Guidance Relating to the Implementation of SOLAS Chapter XI-2 and the ISPS Code (7 June 2004)
• MSC.1/Circ.1404, Guidelines To Assist in the Investigation of the Crimes of Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships (23 May 2011)
• MSC.1/Circ.1405/Rev.2, Revised Interim Guidance to Shipowners, Ship Operators and Shipmasters on the Use of Privately Contracted Armed Security Personnel On Board Ships in the High Risk Area (25 May 2012)

Updated information regarding piracy threats and information helpful in understanding, implementing, and maintaining compliance with maritime security regulations can be found in various Marine Notices, Marine Guidelines, Ship Security Advisories, and Marine Safety Advisories in the Library.